Please note that applications which do not meet the eligibility criteria; do not name an academic staff member at the University of Edinburgh as the academic sponsor; or have not secured the agreement of the named sponsor, will not be considered.
Edinburgh Futures Institute is proud to open calls for our Visiting Fellowship programme, for visits in the 2025/26 academic year. In this dynamic academic environment, our visitors will be able to interact with other fellows, researchers affiliated with the Futures Institute, our partners from the business and third sector, and our students. Fellows will be able to take part in our seminars and events programmes, and be able to access our training courses, making for a highly enriching experience.
At the Edinburgh Futures Institute we challenge, create, and make change happen. We are focussed on tackling today’s increasingly complex issues by bringing people and disciplines together to spark the unexpected and make better futures possible.
We catalyse collaborative, data-driven and interdisciplinary research innovation across the University of Edinburgh and six key research areas:
- Creative Industries & Digital Humanities
- Ethics of Data and Artificial Intelligence
- Financial Services & Fintech
- Future Infrastructure
- Public Sector: prevention, data civics, participatory democracy, governance
- Tourism & Festivals
Eligibility criteria
Applicants should hold an open-ended position within an academic institution at the time of their planned visit (though relevant career experience and equivalent professional qualifications will also be taken into account). They must be based outside of the University of Edinburgh. We particularly encourage applications from those based in LMICs (low- and middle-income countries), or other applicants who represent minorities not currently well-represented in the Futures Institute. We are looking for those:
- Who are currently working on projects and ideas that relate our key research areas;
- Have expertise or have previously led projects related to our research areas, where a visit to the Futures Institute would lead to advancement of the work;
- Are planning to develop an idea for a grant proposal, where a visit to the Futures Institute would benefit the development of this proposal.
Applications will be assessed using the following criteria:
- Demonstrable research & engagement leadership in existing/previous projects (commensurate with career stage)
- Existing research links with academic sponsors and the wider the Edinburgh ecosystem
- The research impact potential of the proposal, and its societal relevance
- Plans to engage with and contribute to the Futures Institute and the wider academic community in Edinburgh
Fellowship length and terms
Visits are expected to last 3-6 months, and must take place within an academic semester. Successful applicants will be expected to make a contribution to the local research community, through guest lectures or seminars, collaborating on grant proposals, or contributing to teaching. If successful, you will receive up to £1,500.00 per month of visit towards relocation costs, plus reimbursement of travel and visa costs (if required). Additional support can be provided to successful applicants from LMI countries.
Academic Sponsorship
As part of the application process, applicants are expected to contact someone based at the University of Edinburgh to act as an academic sponsor, who will be the academic point of contact for the Visiting Fellow and will be expected to regularly engage with them throughout their visit. The sponsor will be contacted for a statement in support of the application, so must be named prior to submission. More information about academic sponsorship can be found below.
Prior to applying for the EFI Visiting Fellowship, all applicants are expected to contact members of the University of Edinburgh’s academic community, to find an academic sponsor. All applications must have a named sponsor listed, and cannot be considered without one. Sponsors of EFI Visiting Fellows will be asked to provide a full written statement in support of the application of c. 150 words.
Please note, however, that no member of staff is obliged to agree to act as sponsor if they don’t share the Fellow’s research interests, or are unable to act as a sponsor for other reasons. If they are not in position to act as a sponsor, they should make this clear to the applicant without delay, to allow time for an alternative to be found. A member of staff should not agree to be a sponsor if they going to be unavailable or absent from the University of Edinburgh for a substantial part of the applicant’s stay here.
When looking for a sponsor, we recommend that the Fellow first approaches researchers at Edinburgh who they have collaborated with previously. Fellows can also look at staff at our Centres and Clusters. The sponsor can be based in any School and College in the university, and there is no requirement for them to have an existing relationship or involvement with EFI. Please note that an academic sponsor offers no financial sponsorship— this comes from the bursary you will receive if your application is successful.
Sponsor role and obligations
In general terms the role of the sponsor is to be a point of contact on academic matters for a Visiting Fellow, with administrative matters being dealt with by the EFI Research Administrator.
Indicative activities that the Sponsor is expected to take on include:
- meet Fellows at the start of their visit, and regularly thereafter throughout the period of the fellowship
- identify key relevant colleagues and groups, and introduce the Fellow to them
- assist the Fellow in identifying potential seminar series that they can contribute to
- attend presentations and seminars given by the Fellow, where possible
Sponsors should work with the proposed Fellow during the application process to identify and suggest indicative activities that will allow the Fellow to engage fully with the academic community at Edinburgh, such as seminar series or relevant active research groups and networks. This does not need to be a full plan of activities, but a starting point for integrating the Fellow in the Edinburgh community to allow them to take full advantage of their time here.
FAQs
Applicants should hold an open-ended position within an academic institution at the time of their planned visit (though relevant career experience and equivalent professional qualifications will also be taken into account). They must be based outside of the University of Edinburgh. We particularly encourage applications from those based in LMICs (low- and middle-income countries), or other applicants who represent minorities not currently well-represented in the Futures Institute.
We expect visits to last between 3 and 6 months, and should take place during one of the academic semesters, during one of the following time periods:
- Semester 1: September 2025 – February 2026
- Semester 2: January 2026 – June 2026
Unfortunately we are currently unable to facilitate academic visitors outwith this programme. Many of the Schools within the University of Edinburgh do have their own programmes, though, which can usually be found on their individual pages on the University of Edinburgh website.
Research should fit into one of the six following categories:
- Creative Industries & Digital Humanities
- Ethics of Data and Artificial Intelligence
- Financial Services & Fintech
- Future Infrastructure
- Public Sector: prevention, data civics, participatory democracy, governance
- Tourism & Festivals
If you have a reason such as caring responsibilities that would not allow you to visit us in one block, we can look at other ways to facilitate your visit. Please contact us to discuss before applying.
Your academic sponsor will be your main academic contact during your visit. They need to be current members of staff at the University of Edinburgh. They will be able to introduce you to relevant researchers, and will be able to facilitate collaboration. Please note that they will not offer any financial support. See information about academic sponsorship in previous section.
Sponsors do not have to be directly affiliated with EFI, but their work should be related to the research areas listed above.
Unfortunately we are not able to suggest academic sponsors. Please check the additional information on Academic Sponsorship for tips about identifying a suitable sponsor.
Applicants must not be affiliated with the University of Edinburgh, either through employment or other Fellowships. Alumnus are welcome to apply, as long as they are now affiliated with another institution.
Applicants should have an open-ended academic position at the time of their visit (that they are able to take time out from), so PhD students are not eligible to apply.
The deadline is midnight (GMT) 23 January 2025, and successful applicants will be informed by the end of February.
If you have any questions regarding this fellowship, please contact efiresearch@ed.ac.uk
